New Solar Devices Transform Energy and Storage Phases Simultaneously
Researchers in China unveiled a novel kind of solar device that makes possible energy generation and storage in a single unit rather than installing solar panels and batteries. The new design incorporates solar redox flow battery technology (SRFB).
Solving Problems on SRFB Technology
In an SRFB, energy is stored as a result of reversible chemical reaction in liquid electrolytes. Although a promising technology, available SRFB systems have encountered a lot of problems such as the corrosion of the photoelectrodes and poor efficiency for converting sunlight radiation into electricity.
To address the above issues, here a team from Nanjing University of Technology developed the chemical compatibility of the components of the SRFB.
Technical Design and Materials
The photocathode used for the device was commercial ternary amorphous silicon solar cells (3jn-a-Si) that were cut into space 2x2 cm modules with the substrate from a stainless steel and indium tin oxide coated.
Performance and Test Results
The charging of the battery was done under the light of a xenon lamp that simulated sunlight, and the system stood more than 10 charge/discharge cycles. It proved solar-energy-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 4.2%.
This is a marked step farther for direct solar-chemical storage technologies.
